


Dream Daddy

by HeyBoy, Pineau_noir



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: 90s R&B references, Alternate Universe, Bad Puns, Blow Jobs, Coffee Shops, Dad Jokes, Domestic Fluff, Dream Daddy Stucky, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, No Angst, Reverse Big Bang Challenge, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Smut, or maybe i just spent too much time thinking about it, somehow each guy in the game had a counterpart in the avengers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22520200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyBoy/pseuds/HeyBoy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineau_noir/pseuds/Pineau_noir
Summary: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is a game where you play as a Dad and your goal is to meet and romance other hot Dads. You and your daughter have just moved into the sleepy seaside town of Maple Bay only to discover that everyone in your neighborhood is a single, dateable Dad! This time with 100% more Avengers!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53
Collections: Marvel Reverse Big Bang 2019





	Dream Daddy

**Author's Note:**

> OMG HEYBOY!!!! Thank you SO MUCH for everything! For the art that started this whole process, for the encouragement as my life turned into a dumpster fire, for being an amazing sounding board, and for the BONUS ART AT THE END!!!
> 
> This has really been an amazing experience and I'm so glad we got to fuse the silliest game that we're addicted to with our favorite guys. I literally cannot thank you enough for everything you've done. Thank you, you're a goddess and your art is just the best.

“Dad!” Amanda’s voice was loud in the empty hallway. “The moving truck's pulling out of the garage!”

Bucky looked around the empty apartment that used to be his. _His and Siobhan and Amanda’s home_ the place in his head that liked to cause the most angst helpfully supplied. He took a deep breath. He smiled a little. He would always treasure the apartment in the city, but he and Amanda were off to start a new chapter in their life in Maple Bay. 

Half a day later, he and Amanda, plus the truck with all their stuff, were pulling into their new house. 

Bucky got out of their car, took a deep breath, and looked around at all the green. “We’re definitely not in Brooklyn anymore. I hope the neighbors are nice, at least.”

Slamming her door, Amanda looked at their house and let out a squeak. “We have a YARD!” she shouted. “Now we can get a bunch of dogs!”

Bucky bit back a smile. “Wait a minute,” he started. “I love dogs as much as anyone but who’s going to take care of it? Who will feed it and take it on walks? Who’s going to change its diaper in the middle of the night? Who will heat up the bottle when it’s hungry? Because I went through all that with you already and I feel like it’s _your_ turn.”

Amanda huffed out a laugh and gave Bucky a wry look. “You know, you’re not nearly as funny as you like to think,” she responded.

Bucky felt his heart swell. “You know, your mom would be so proud of you,” he said with feeling. Siobhan always gave me shit about my ‘dad’ jokes.”

Amanda’s face melted into an answering smile. Bucky took her in, her warm brown skin and freckles that reminded him so much of Siobhan. Her hair that couldn't be tamed, not even in the ponytail and headband she usually wore. Bucky _knew_ that particular trait was because of him. But the sparkle in her brown yes, that was all Siobhan. 

Bucky walked around their car to grab his laptop bag. He looked at it, the moderately priced crossover that Bucky had purchased, much to Amanda’s chagrin. She wanted a purple Tesla. He wanted a classic El Camino. They “compromised” on a Subaru. There had been several nights of storming off into bedrooms (Bucky) and rolling eyes and sighing (Amanda) during the car shopping process. But if Bucky was going to pay for parking in Brooklyn, he was going to get something that _at least_ had ample cargo space. He was especially happy with his decision after he got the job offer in Maple Bay. The sleepy little town located on Cape Cod had a lot of things within walking distance, but it was so different from New York where there was a bodega on every corner. 

After musing about his car, which he had named Velma, he walked up to Amanda who was rolling in the grass. “Don’t you have an allergy, Manda?” he asked with a frown.

She paused and rolled her eyes. “To _strawberries_ , Dad,” she said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

Bucky let out a little “ha” before saying, “Well, at least one of us knows” and shrugging. “So no strawberry cheesecake for you, I guess. Sucks for you, but hey—” he winked at her— “more for me.”

She groaned. “You never even order strawberry cheesecake! You like turtle cheesecake.”

Bucky thought Amanda looked comfortable on their lawn so he lowered himself to the ground and started petting the grass. “Not a lot of this in Brooklyn,” he murmured before he registered what Amanda had said. “I do? I thought I always get strawberry.”

Knocking their shoulders together, Amanda gave him a fond smile. “I would be concerned that you don’t know my dietary restrictions, but you can’t seem to remember your own preferences. You _do_ know you can’t take aspirin, right?”

“Yes?”

“Dad, you _can’t_ take aspirin, you’re allergic!” Amanda sounded concerned.

“I know that!” he responded giving himself a mental high five for remembering. “Aspirin and the skin on mangoes. That shit is dangerous.” He let out a little shudder as he remembered the rash from hell. Bucky watched as the men moving his and Amanda’s things into their new home carried boxes in. “This is _boring_ ” he complained. “I think there’s a coffee shop within walking distance. Wanna go get a cup of overpriced, frothy, sugary elixir of life?”

Amanda got up so quickly _Bucky’s_ knees groaned in sympathy. “Heck yeah, Dad! Let’s go! I need some delicious, delicious caffeine.”

Bucky awkwardly got himself to his feet, hearing rather than feeling his joints cracking. “First one there pays!” he said with a smile. 

Amanda just smiled back. “No bet old man,” she replied. 

A few minutes later, they were walking into _[It’s Time for the Percolator](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ArZwPdDck)_ Bucky humming the early 90s song while Amanda looked confused.

“What’s a percolator and why is it time for it?” she asked.

Before Bucky could answer, a really attractive man walked up and looked faintly embarrassed. “It’s uh, it’s an old house classic out of Chicago. It was really popular when I was a kid?” He shook his head. “And uh—”

“This is Sam,” a young blonde girl whose name tag read “Spider-Gwen” said. “Sam owns Percolator and I’m Gwen, I work here. I’m just a bunch of spiders in a girl suit.” 

Amanda snorted while Bucky furrowed his brow. “Um, yeah. Hi Sam and Spider-girl.”

“Woman,” Amanda corrected.

Bucky took a deep breath. “Fine. If you’re going to commit to this, then thank you Spider-woman. We’re here to get some coffee. I’m Bucky and this is my daughter Amanda and we just moved to Maple Bay. We need caffeine ASAP.” He scanned the menu on the wall. _[Ginuwine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbnoG2dsUk0)_ Cold Brew, _[That’s the Way](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJgiTCkoJFM)_ Cappuccino-goes, _[Bump and Grind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAXxkNaRkp8)_ Americano, and Mocha- _[TownPhilly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rciee-oQLoI)_ were all calling his name. 

“I’ll have the _[](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxk4e59M8og)_[Chai,” Amanda said.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxk4e59M8og)

[](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxk4e59M8og)

Gwen looked embarrassed at the puns while Sam looked vaguely pleased. Bucky gave him his winningest smile. “I’ll have the _That’s the Way_ Cappuccino-goes,” he told Sam.

Sam grinned, his soft brown eyes creasing at the temples and Bucky noticed an adorable gap in the middle of his teeth. Bucky felt himself flush a little. Gwen went to make their drinks and he and Sam stood there awkwardly.

“So, _Sam_ ,” Amanda drawled, an evil glint in her eye. “I don’t see a ring, do you have a boy-slash-girlfriend?”

Bucky groaned and walked to the closest booth, resting his flaming face in his hands. He took in the various band fliers that covered the table under a layer of clear acrylic through his fingers. He peeked up and stared at the random brass instruments on the wall while Sam shuffled his feet and grinned. Amanda was nowhere to be seen. 

“I see my hell-spawn has left the scene of the crime. I’m so sorry for her prying—”

“Let me stop you right there, man.” Sam was still smiling gently. “I have a daughter, Gabbie. Embarrasses me on a daily basis. _On purpose_.” He sat down in the chair opposite Bucky.

Bucky let out a small laugh. “Kids, dude,” he said in commiseration.

“Yup.”

They sat there in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes until Amanda and Gwen brought their drinks over. “Dad! That thing is so cool! It makes all these hissing and farting noises!”

Bucky snickered at her. Sam stood up and nodded at Bucky and Amanda. “C’mon Gwen, we have other customers.”

Gwen rolled her eyes and made a deliberate show of looking at the empty coffee shop. “Sure, boss.”

They started towards the back when suddenly Sam twirled around. “Oh, I have a new muffin I want y’all to try out for me. On the house.”

Bucky did an internal fist pump. _Free muffin!_ But then... “It doesn't have strawberries in it, right? Manda’s allergic!”

“Daaaaaaddddd,” Amanda made the monosyllabic word stretch out into like 17 syllables.

Sam just took them in. “Nah, it’s a new vegan banana nut bread. Strawberry free, that’s the Sam Wilson guarantee.”

Gwen and Amanda let out simultaneous groans.

——

After some truly delicious muffins and coffee, Bucky and Amanda left the Percolator. They walked past the local dog park, a cute little bistro, a hole-in-the-wall bar, and a playground full of screaming kids. Bucky shuddered.

“Cold Dad?” Amanda asked.

“No, just, _bleh_. Kids,” he explained.

Amanda snickered. “You must have been so happy that I was a full grown person when I was born.”

Bucky nodded sagely. “Only way to do it.”

They approached their house and watched the movers unload the last couple of boxes before Bucky had to sign paperwork and do all sorts of dumb adult things. But finally, after months of planning, days of packing, and hours of moving, the Barnes family were official residents of Maple Bay.

“C’mon, Manda Panda, let’s go order some pizza and work on setting up the TV. I think there’s a new episode of Long Haul Paranormal Ice Road Ghost Truckers on tonight. And I’m feeling every second of my age after watching all those strapping young men unload our crap.”

“Yes! I think Callum and Flynt are going to try and adopt the ghost grizzly bear from the last episode! And don’t feel too bad, Dad. You don’t look a day over 46.”

“I’m 37,” he said, offended.

“Yes! And you don’t look a day over 46. So well done you!”

Bucky shook his head as he followed his daughter, the absolute love of his life and bane of his existence, into their new home.

——

They had done the bare minimum of unpacking the day of the move so, after a somewhat restful night’s sleep, Bucky rolled over and looked at the boxes in his room. “ _Fuck_ ,” he groaned. “More unpacking.” Hearing Amanda in the hall he shouted, “Amanda! Did you pack the genie that grants us wishes or did I? I want to use one of them to get all of our shit unpacked.”

Amanda peeked her head in his room. “Um, I think we maybe left it back in Brooklyn, Pops. Sorry.”

Bucky furrowed his brow. “Pops?”

“Yeah, just trying it out. New place, new me, new you.”

Bucky shrugged. Since he was still horizontal, he didn’t think it had the same effect. “Fine, but _Pops_?”

“I’ll inform HR of your complaint. But I just woke up because somebody knocked on the door. There were muffins and to-go coffee cups on the porch. I think Sam took pity on us and delivered breakfast.”

Bucky sighed. “That man is a prince among men. A dude among douches. A— ”

“Yeah, yeah, Dad, I get it. You would carry his children for more breakfast pastries and coffee. But get out of bed so you can actually eat the ones that he brought. Otherwise, they’re all gonna be in my belly.”

He scrambled out of bed. Amanda was a vicious animal when there were pastries involved.

"If you want me to pay for art school, you _will_ save me at least one muffin, young lady!" he bellowed as he pulled his robe around himself. He hobbled down the stairs, for effect, and was pleased to see two muffins on a plate by a cup of coffee. Amanda was clearly hiding from his rage. ...Or something.

"Dad!" his wonderful daughter shouted. "C'mon! Doctor Superwholock is on!"

"Is that the one with the alien detective physician who hunts monsters with his brother?"

Amanda tapped her nose. "Got it in one."

He settled in their couch, Amanda throwing her feet into his lap, and they watched the CeeFee channel, devouring their breakfast. Bucky inevitably fell asleep, lulled by the British doctor and his American brother.

——

A knocking sound came from the door, waking Bucky up. He snorted a little and checked his mouth for signs of drool. Amanda was no longer in the room, presumably she had gone upstairs to her own bed to nap. Bucky stood up, stretched, internally shuddered at the noise his back made, and went to the door.

"Hi!" the handsome man on the other side of the door said. "I'm your neighbor, Brock. My kids and I made you a 'welcome to the neighborhood' plate of cookies." Bucky took in his dark brown eyes, the slight scruff on his chiseled jaw, the black hair perfectly gelled— enough to hold but not enough to look crunchy, Bucky had never quite achieved that look— and gulped. 

Silently. 

He hoped.

The neighbor, Brock, smiled and lifted up the plate. “Cookies?” he asked. “Are you a gluten free house—”

Amanda thundered down the stairs, interrupting Brock, as if magically summoned by the word cookies. "I'll take those," she proclaimed with a sly glint in her eye. "Meet the neighbors, Dad. I'll put these somewhere safe."

Brock, his unfairly good-looking neighbor, smiled again. "Yeah, my oldest, Chris, gets like that with cookies. I won't keep you _too_ long so hopefully you can have a few after I leave."

Bucky laughed. "Yeah, kids, right? I just have Amanda—" he gestured to the kitchen where she was hiding and no doubt gorging herself— "but I always wish she had had a sibling. I'm just glad Siobhan and I never went crazy. I can't, for the life of me imagine having like three or four kids. People like that are a little…." Bucky waved his hand. "Touched in the head, ya know?"

Brock awkwardly looked down at his feet and kicked at the door sill. "Uhhhh…" he started.

"Oh, shit," Bucky murmured. "Was I just an asshole?"

Brock smiled and stepped away from the door. "Close it," he said to Bucky's dismay. 

_I AM the asshole_ he thought. Then there were two crisp knocks on the door. He opened it.

"Hi," Brock said. "I'm your neighbor Brock, I live two doors down with my wife and four children."

Bucky smiled. "Hi, Brock! Good to meet you. That is 100% a normal number of children to have. I'm Bucky and I live here with my daughter, Amanda. Won't you come in?"

Brock smiled again and shook his head. "Sorry, I just wanted to drop off the cookies. I'm a youth minister at the local church and we're planning a bake sale, so I need to be off."

Bucky stared at him. "Youth minister?" he asked in a squeaky voice. 

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'm not like a normal minister, I'm a _cool_ minister."

Bucky felt his eyebrows raise. "O...K…" he answered. "That's great?"

Brock took pity on him and clasped Bucky in the shoulder. "Don't worry man, I don't want to convert you. Unless it's to the power of gas grills. I noticed the movers carrying a charcoal one yesterday. You haven't _lived_ until you've seen the face of God. Which, in this case is a perfectly seared burger."

Bucky felt at ease with the gentle teasing. There was nothing quite like some gentle ribbing about grills to make a fellow dad comfortable.

"I'll have to take you up on that, Brock," he said with a smile.

Brock smiled back, warm and inviting. "Well, anyway…." He looked down at his feet and Bucky was charmed. "I better go. Welcome to the neighborhood, neighbor."

Bucky laughed. "Thanks, man. I'll see you around."

After shutting the door, Bucky made his way to the kitchen. Amanda was sitting in one of the barstools, groaning.

"That's what you get when you eat all the God cookies," Bucky said in a stern voice. "Stealing cookies from your parent is like one of the ten commandments. Or a deadly sin or something."

Amanda rolled her eyes and groaned again. "Worth...it…," she gasped.

——

After a lazy day of unpacking and watching reality TV, Bucky's stomach started to grumble. "Hey, Manda, you hungry?" She nodded. "Yeah, me too," he agreed. "Do we have groceries?" Amanda shook her hair and wailed a little.

"There's that little place at the end of the road. We could walk and get food and then spy on people's dogs on the way home," Amanda suggested.

Bucky held his hand up. "Up high?" he asked and then grimaced at the force Amanda had behind her high-five. 

"Let's go!" Amanda shouted. "I bet that they have a sandwich with my name on it."

Bucky let out a him. "The 'Amanda Barnes' grilled panini has quite a ring to it," he agreed.

Amanda smiled. “Nod, nod,” she said.

“...did you just _narrate_ your nod?” Bucky asked, incredulously. 

“‘S what all the kids are doing today, Dad. Get with it. Now, seriously, I wanna go murder a BLT in the next few minutes. Don’t make me late.” She smiled at him then winked. “And remember, snitches get stitches so don’t go blabbing about my crime. I _will_ make you an accessory to murder if you rat me out.”

Bucky looked at her somberly and crossed his heart. “I swear on your mother’s grave that I won’t tell a soul that you murdered a sandwich.”

They made their way out of the house, down the road, and true to her word, Amanda, did in fact, commit an unspeakable sin against a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. _Manda, I will literally disown you if you put ketchup on that_ Bucky had threatened to no avail. He shuddered at the thought of ruining bacon with _ketchup_. “It’s all in the past,” he whispered to himself as they left the bistro. Which was aptly named _The Bistro_. He hurried to catch up to his chaotic evil daughter and then suddenly felt something run into his leg. He grasped at the air and was on his ass before he could even think to call out to Amanda.

“Dad!” she cried when she saw him on the ground. “Are you OK? Have you fallen and you can’t get up? Do I need to call the paramedics?”

Bucky frowned at her. “I’m in my 30s, not my 80s. I _think_ I can get back up on my own.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a dog jumped into his lap and started wriggling all over him. 

“Hey, there little buddy,” he crooned. “Did you knock me down?” The dog (it was some sort of Corgi, it had the signature body shape and short legs, but the coloring was more like a German Shepard) just wagged its bobbed tail and slobbered on Bucky. He laughed and went in for ear scratches. “I can’t even be mad, little dude. You’re too cute for words.”

Amanda made some sort of shrieking noise and fell to her knees beside Bucky, petting and scratching the dog. “ _Ohmygod_ , Dad, I think I just died from the cuteness!”

Hearing a chuckle behind them, Bucky turned and saw a man and girl walking towards them. “Sorry!” he said as he waved to Bucky and Amanda. “That’s Jarvis. He gets a little overenthusiastic sometimes.” 

Amanda nodded. “Same, Jarvis. Same,” she agreed. “I’m Amanda and this is my dad Bucky. We’re new.”

The other man smiled, crinkling the skin around his hazel eyes. He had...interesting facial hair and burgundy leather jacket that had gold accents. “I’m Tony. Tony Stark,” he replied. He turned to the girl at his side. “This is my daughter Morgan. She’s 12 and already reading at a college level.”

Bucky raised his eyes. _Is it gonna be like this?_ his inner voice asked. “Cool,” he said in a neutral tone. “Amanda is in her senior year of high school and applying to art schools for photography. She’s won prizes for her art in New York.”

Tony sized Bucky up. “Art is _quaint_. Morgan is an inventor like me. She already holds two patents.”

Bucky bristled. _It IS gonna be like that_ he thought. _I can out Dad any Dad out there. Plus Amanda is cooler than I ever was._ He winked at Manda who just gave him a confused look.

“Manda is only in advanced placement classes and takes after her mother, who was a math genius.”

“Was?” Tony whispered.

Bucky bit his lip. He hadn’t meant to spill that tidbit so soon into meeting someone. He usually kept the widower talk until at least like the second meeting. He nodded at Tony. “Yeah, Amanda’s mom…”

“Shit,” Tony whispered. “Sorry, man.”

Bucky smiled sadly. “It was a while ago, but thanks.”

Reading the tension in the air, Amanda said, “Morgan, your dog is so cute!”

Morgan smiled shyly. “Thanks. He’s a Corgi mix. I love him.”

Amanda crouched down and Bucky sent her a proud look. “He looks like a German Shepard too?” Morgan nodded and Jarvis, seeing a willing audience, rolled over onto his back, baring his belly for scratches. Amanda looked at Bucky with literal hearts in her eyes while letting out a tiny shriek. “Dad!” she gasped. “I want seven!”

Bucky rolled his eyes. They weren’t getting _seven_ dogs. “We’ll discuss it later,” he said. Amanda made sadder and sadder faces at him. He raised his eyebrow. “We can _not_ discuss it later if you want zero dogs?”

She perked up. ”Later is great, Dad!” Bucky just rolled his eyes again. He knew he was a complete sap about his kid. But, to be fair, she was pretty much the best kid in the history of kids.

He turned to Tony again, who was making a weird face. “Is there—” he gestured to himself— “something on my face? Did Manda write a bad word on my forehead when I wasn’t looking?”

Tony just nodded. “Yeah.” Bucky immediately started scrubbing at his face to clean off the obscenity. Tony laughed a little. “No, no, your face is fine,” he continued. “Just, I lost Morgan’s mom a couple of years ago. I get a little competitive because she’s all I have left of Pepper. So, sorry if I came on too strong.”

Bucky shrugged. “No worries. But if we’re going to be friends, I need to know your opinion on gas grills.” At Tony’s visible shudder Bucky smiled. “I think we’ll be OK then.”

——

After an altogether uneventful afternoon and evening, Bucky and Amanda spent Sunday morning making pancakes and unpacking. They had made a lot of progress the day before and Bucky was glad Amanda would be starting school the next day with almost all of her stuff.

“Hey, Dad!” Amanda shouted from the top of the stairs, after she had gone upstairs to shower and change. “We don’t have any of those ring things that keeps the shower curtain on the shower. I know I packed the shower curtain because, let’s be honest, who is gonna forget a picture of Jeff Goldblum with a gorilla?”

Bucky groaned. “So what you’re saying is that we can’t shower until we go to the store?”

Amanda nodded. “Thankfully there’s a Death, Goth, and Beyond at the local mall that will probably have something that will go really well with Jeff.”

Bucky started up the stairs. If he was going to go to the mall, he was going to wear a clean shirt, dammit. He threw on a shirt from his favorite band _The Howling Commandos_ and judiciously applied some deodorant. There was little that stood up against the scent of a crisp Irish spring. At least he was going to keep telling himself that.

Manda had apparently had the same thought because she also smelled like something crisp and clean. Neither of them picked toiletries on “gender”, they just grabbed what they each thought smelled nice. But somehow they both looked half-way decent and didn’t stink.

“To the mall?” he asked.

“To the mall!” she shouted back.

The drive was short, parking wasn’t too bad as it was a Sunday evening, and in less than half an hour they were strolling into Dead, Goth, and Beyond. “Just pick whatever you think will look best with Jeff,” he told Amanda. “You’re more invested in that than I am.”

He was browsing the eyeliner, there were more brands than he had ever imagined, when he overheard an argument.

“I’m just saying, this polish is onyx when I _clearly_ ordered jet! How else will I get my nails the perfect shade if your company insists on mislabeling colors!” 

“I’m sorry, sir—”

“Sir?!?” a younger version of the shouting person interrupted. “I will have you know my dad is feminine today. So you can address her by ma’am, they, or not at all.”

The tall, gorgeous person looked happy. Their green eyes were flashing and they tossed their head showing off their glossy hair. “Thank you Sleipnir. I appreciate that.” They looked at the cashier in disdain. “I understand you weren’t trying to deliberately provoke me with mis-gendering me, but I _will_ not stand for the mix-up with polish. I demand a refund.”

Bucky smirked as the cashier did as asked. Then said, “sorry, I didn’t mean to misgender you. I’ll work on avoiding gender specific honorifics in the future.”

Sleipnir’s dad gave the cashier a shrewd look. “There may be hope for you yet. Now I must leave and search for the perfect polish since Dead, Goth, and Beyond clearly does not have what I require.” They turned on their heel and strode out of the store, leaving Bucky gaping in their wake.

Amanda came out from the back. “That was some harsh words about nail polish,” she said under her breath. “But right on about gender.” Bucky nodded. He would take the stranger’s lesson to heart as well and do his best to use gender neutral terms. “But, upside? I found these kickass Mermaid skeleton shower rings! They’re gonna look so killer with Jeff!”

Bucky shuddered. _Jeff_ was one thing while he was doing his business. _Mermaid skeletons_ were another. But if Amanda was happy…. Well he would learn to live with them until he made her take the whole kit off to college.

——

Bucky was having the weirdest dream about dogs ruling the world when Amanda woke him up. “Dad!” she half-whined. “I need your _good luck_ eggs before I start at a new school!”

Bucky grumbled but he got out of bed. He knew how stressful starting at a new place could be and if his eggs would help, he would make some damn eggs. He threw on his pajama pants and started down the stairs.

Amanda was texting, one of her friends from New York, he assumed, and he stopped to give her a hug. “Hey, I know it’s scary, but you’re a really cool kid and you’re going to find some new friends really easily.”

“I know,” she mumbled into the hug. “But being the new kid, especially this close to graduation, is hard.”

Bucky kissed her on the top of her head. “If nobody likes you, fuck them. You’ve got _real_ friends in the city and you’re going off to college soon. It’s just a couple of months and then you’ll be new with all the other freshmen.”

Bucky felt her nod. “Thanks, Dad,” she whispered. Then louder, “I really need you to cook if I’m going to be on time though.”

Bucky gave her a quick, squeeze and let her go, so he could start on her food. Breakfast was quick but Bucky could see Amanda getting less nervous as they ate and she texted. Usually they had a “no electronics at the table” rule, but on a stressful day like this one, he knew her friends would be her biggest comfort.

He still couldn’t let her leave without a last, “you’re so bright, your teachers are gonna wear shades,” earning a groan and small, grateful smile. 

“Thanks, Dad. Don’t be too bored without me,” she replied, blowing him a kiss.

With Amanda gone for the next seven-or-so hours, Bucky was at a bit of a loss of what to do. “I could either unpack some more or go get some coffee,” he mused aloud. “Real pants,” he said weighing the trouble, “but coffee.” Coffee eventually won out and he went up to grab some jeans. He figured his shower from the night before was good enough and honestly, the mermaid skeleton maybe gave him the wiggins _a little_. Not that he would tell Amanda.

He rushed out the door to the Percolator for coffee. The good luck eggs had been delicious, but he needed caffeine before he could decide what to do with the rest of his day. The choice between keeping himself busy and worrying about Amanda was a tough one, but he thought he should probably do the more adult thing and be productive. 

Sam smiled as Bucky walked in. “What can I get you, man?” he asked as he came over to stand by Bucky. 

“Oh, I need something strong today, it’s Manda’s first day at her new school. I think some Ginuwine Cold Brew.”

Sam nodded. “Sure, I’ll be right back with that. Anything to eat?”

Bucky shook his head. He was still full and a little nervous and the thought of food was a little off-putting. “Thanks, though. Just a little nervous,” he explained as Sam gave him a kind smile. “If you need a distraction, one of my best friends is hiding in the corner. He lives in the neighborhood too and I could introduce you?”

Bucky laughed a little. “Is this a pity meet-up?” he asked a smile. “Because I will definitely take you up on that.”

“Nah, just want all the cool people in my life to know each other.”

 _Sam thinks I’m_ cool!! his brain shrieked.

“You think I’m cool?!?” he shrieked, externally. 

Sam smirked. “Well, as cool as anybody who comes to the Percolator, anyway.”

Bucky nodded. That made sense. He looked to where Sam was pointing. “That’s Steve.” 

_Steve_ was making silly faces at an infant in a car seat. He was gorgeous. Blond and muscular, his eyes were crinkled around the corners from giggling with the baby. Bucky could feel hearts start to float around his head.

“Yo!” Sam shouted, pulling Bucky out of his stupor. “Come over here and meet Bucky. He just moved here.”

Steve got up and grabbed the car seat carrier and started walking towards Bucky. Bucky, who was feeling butterflies in his stomach for the first time in a while. Since he had lost Siobhan, if he was being honest with himself.

Steve held out a hand. “Hey, good to meet you, Bucky. I’m your neighbor, Steve. Can I get you a hot drink?” Bucky shook his head and motioned to where Sam was making his drink. Steve smiled in understanding and then looked down at his baby. “This is Sarah. We live on the other side of the cul-de-sac from you.” Taking in Bucky’s blank look, he explained, “I saw the moving truck.”

“Ah.” Bucky shook Steve’s hand. “It’s good to meet you. Everybody here has been so nice and welcoming. I’m from New York so it’s weird to have so many people interested in their neighbors.”

Steve lit up. “I'm from Brooklyn!” he said with a big smile.

“No way!” Bucky noticed Sam was gone but had no idea when the other man had left. “I’m from Brooklyn too!”

“Do you, uh, wanna come over to my table? My coffee is over there and I can set Sarah down.”

Bucky peered at the big table in the corner that was covered in paperwork and a big cup of something steaming. “Are you busy?” he asked, not wanting to intrude.

Steve smiled back at him. “Nothing pressing. Just finishing up a project. But I can do it during _this one’s_ nap,” he said as he nodded at Sarah who was cooing and looking around. Bucky nodded and followed Steve to the corner.

They settled in and Bucky sipped on his coffee. He _casually_ checked Steve out again. _Yep, still hot_ his brain reminded him. “So, uh, how long have you been in Maple Bay?”

Smiling a little sadly, Steve looked at Sarah. “Just after she was born. So not quite a year ago. Her mom, Peggy and I split up about six months before she was born.”

“Aw, dude, I’m so—”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Steve interrupted. “We wanted different things. I wanted a quiet family life and Pegs. Well she was made for bigger things. And I love her as a person too much to get in her way.”

“That’s very noble of you, Steve,” Bucky said quietly.

“She’s one of my best friends. When we were together, it was great, but having Sarah and having Peggy as a friend is better than one of us trying to fit into a mold we’re not made for.”

Bucky nodded. “That makes sense. And honestly, the closer I get to 40, the more I want the quiet life. Being in the city was fun, but already I’ve met my neighbors and my daughter is trying to talk me into a dog. Because for the first time in my life, I have a yard.”

Steve perked up when Bucky said _dog_. “Yeah, I always wanted a big dog, but we could never afford a place big enough in Brooklyn to house one. I think when Sarah starts walking, I want to try and adopt one.”

Bucky geeked out at that and started quizzing Steve on dogs. They ended up talking for almost an hour, until Sarah started fussing and Steve had to go home to put her in her crib for a nap. After a wink from Sam, Bucky shook himself out of his stupor and went home to unpack some more.

——

That night Amanda introduced Bucky to something called _Dadbook_. It was a social media platform that seemed to cater to dads of all shapes and sizes. As soon as he joined, he got a little alert that he had friend requests from Sam, Steve, and Tony. 

“Whoa, Dad!” Amanda exclaimed. I guess you really made an impression on them.” She sniffed, _loudly_ and rubbed at her eyes. “You’re just getting so grown,” she said in a fake sad/proud voice. “Soon you’ll be off on your own and won’t need me anymore.”

So Bucky knew she was kidding, but his heart still twinged at the idea of not needing Amanda. “You’re being a jackass, but Manda Panda, I will always need you as my daughter. How else will I know what the memes are?”

“Awww,” she cooed. “Didn’t know you cared.” She let out a real yawn and motioned to Bucky that she wanted a hug. He did as requested and smiled. “Gotta go to bed, for real, Dad. Don’t let me get in the way of your raging social life.” She stepped back, breaking the hug. “But honestly, don’t drink and drive. Don’t accept strange drugs from well dressed men. Don’t fart on the dancefloor. Don’t blast AC/DC and litter while you drive. Do that one one thing at a time”

Bucky laughed at her set of rules. “I’ll probably shoot off a few work things and then crash too, if I’m being honest.”

“Dad, really. Message somebody from the internet. They all seemed to like you. I mean, it helps that I’m cool _af_ and the perfect wingwoman. But take this step on your own.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “ _Af_ still counts as a swear,” he said with a groan. “And you are a pretty boss wingwoman. I’ll make friends, I promise.”

She did a “I’m keeping my eye on you” gesture and walked up the stairs to her room. 

“Good night, my spawnling,” he called after her.

Satisfied that she was going to get enough sleep for school the next day, Bucky sat down on the couch and pulled his laptop onto his chest. 

**From Bucky to Sam** Hey, I didn’t know you were on here

 **From Sam to Bucky** Yeah the whole cul-de-sac is on Dadbook! It gives us a way to stay in contact. In fact, Tony is having a poker night tomorrow if you want to join!

Bucky thought about that for a few moments. On one hand, he was _terrible_ at poker. On the other hand, getting to know the other dads in the area was a good thing.

 **From Bucky to Sam** Sure! Tell me when to show up and what to bring

After a brief discussion, and repeated assurance that Bucky wasn’t going to be crashing the party, he logged off the site and did his work stuff. Being the founder of a successful niche robotics company was nice since it had grown to the point where he only needed to be the figurehead of the business. Since they only made one thing and they made it well, he was able to trust his management team and they were able to run the day-to-day business.

Satisfied that he had put in his week’s worth of work in, he shut down the laptop and went upstairs to bed.

——

The next day, Bucky was a bundle of nerves before poker night at Tony’s. Sam and Steve had ganged up on him at the Percolator and gave up all of Tony’s weaknesses before asking Bucky about his. He thought he did pretty well with his bluff of “weaknesses are for bridges.” Sam had raised his eyebrow while Steve fought back a smile.

But Amanda had made him put on his second best t-shirt, his best pair of jeans, and his red Doc Martens so if things went pear shaped, he could at least stomp on some feet before making his escape. With Amanda’s shout of “kick some ass, Dad,” ringing in his ear, he walked the short distance to Tony’s house. 

The doorbell had only quit ringing when the door was unceremoniously thrown open. “Bucky!” Steve shouted. “You made it!”

Bucky held out his six pack of beer. “Beer?” he said awkwardly. Steve laughed at him and pulled him into the house and threw his arm around Bucky’s shoulders 

“I’ve had three,” he confided.

Sam walked into the entryway of the house. “Yeah, Steve’s a real lightweight. It’s because—”

“Because I don’t have any body fat,” Steve interrupted. “Wanna feel my muscles?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Don’t mind him. He was a tiny, sickly thing as a kid and when he gets silly, he’s extra proud of his—” his voice dropped— “ _manly physique_. He’ll apologize for being obnoxious tomorrow.”

Steve nodded during Sam’s little speech. “‘M real strong, Buck.”

Bucky shot a quick up and down look at Steve. He did look _strong_. Sam rolled his eyes again. 

“C’mon,” he said with a sigh. “Everybody’s in the kitchen.” Steve and Bucky followed Sam and a cheer of “Bucky” rang out as they entered.

Sam started pointing out people to Bucky. “That’s Tony’s bestie, Bruce,” he said as he pointed to a man in a green Hawaiian shirt. “Wade is the guy who looks like he’s gonna die from alcohol poisoning any minute.” 

The man, _Wade_ , raised a dark, jagged eyebrow and shook his bald head. “Fuck you, Sam,” he said good-naturedly. “I can drink any one of you under the table.” He raised his glass, that was almost overflowing with an amber liquid, as a mocking toast to Sam. “Anyway, it’s good to get new meat here at the cul-de-sac. I can’t wait to win all of your money.”

Steve, whose arm was still around Bucky’s shoulder, giggled. “Wade talks a bunch of shit but he’s really a cinnamon roll.” He snorted. “Maybe a _burnt_ cinnamon roll.”

“Hey, hey,” Tony interrupted. “No fighting on our most sacred night.” He glared at Wade and Steve. “Bucky, glad you could make it. Steve needs somebody who is worse at poker than he is and Sam says you’re shit at bluffing too.” Then he mumbled, “plus Steve hasn’t shut up about you since yesterday.”

Steve grumbled, but let Bucky lead him to the large kitchen table where there were several empty bottles of beer scattered around and a huge pile of poker chips. He plopped down in a chair and motioned for Bucky to do the same. “I’ll have Sam sit on your other side so these jackasses can’t be mean to you.” Steve swung his arm around, almost hitting Bucky in the face.

Letting out a little laugh, Bucky shook his head at Steve. “You’re really a lightweight, aren’t you?”

Steve gave him a fond look. “I just think you’re neat. I liked talking to you at Sam’s. I especially like how much you care about your daughter.” He sobered up, briefly, and muttered “I know more about Amanda than I do about Wade. And I’ve been neighbors with ol’ Deadpool for like three years.”

 _Deadpool?_ Bucky thought. “Yeah, I probably talk too much about Manda. But she’s really the best of me and her mom and it’s hard to rein it in, I guess.”

“Enough of this sappy talk,” Tony cut in. “I’ve got dibs on all of Buckster’s money.”

Bucky furrowed his brows. “Are you… am _I_ Buckster?” 

Tony nodded and started to shuffle a deck of cards that had been hidden by beer bottles. “Yup,” he said, popping the P. “And after I bleed you dry, I’m gonna take all of Steven’s money.” He let out an almost evil laugh. “Like taking candy from a baby and then more candy from an even smaller baby.” 

“Tony,” Bruce cautioned. “Don’t go all evil megalomaniac on us.” Tony scoffed and started dealing the cards.

——

Waking up the next morning, Bucky had a headache and the distant memory of being asked out by Steve. He logged onto Dadbook and saw a message confirming their _date_. He replied that he was looking forward to it and then ran off to shower. He had a few hours before they were to meet up, but he wanted to make sure he looked his best. It had been a while since he had gone on date and he was really starting to like Steve. Bucky had laughed, almost non-stop, at Steve’s silly behavior the night before. He was also charmed by his rendition of “Sweet Caroline” that had been changed to be about Sarah. 

Steve couldn’t carry a tune, but the besotted look on his face when he sang “Sweet Sarah-mine” made Bucky’s heart go all pitter-patter. Family had always been something that was incredibly important to Bucky and he was glad Steve seemed to feel the same. Bucky shook himself from his musing and went back to looking at what to wear. He decided his red v-neck would look good with his tightest jeans. He checked the weather and decided that he needed his beat-up leather jacket. 

Bucky let out a sigh as Amanda came into his room. “What are you up to this sunny— _whoa_ look at you all scruffy bad boy. Who you trying to impress?” 

Flushing at Amanda’s smirk, he mumbled out, “Steve and I have a date.”

“Ooh! Dad! That’s great!” Amanda said, excitedly. “Getting back on that horse and all that. Go get him!”

Bucky fidgeted. “It’s OK that I'm going out with someone else? I don’t want you to think I’m forgetting about your mom.”

Amanda walked over to him and gave him a quick hug. “No, Dad, I know you’re not. But you’re still young and I want you to be happy. Don’t put that off because you feel like you have an obligation to me or Mom. She’s been gone a long time and I know she would want you to be happy.”

Eyes tearing up a little, he grabbed Amanda into a second hug. “You’re so mature now,” he mumbled into her hair. “How did that happen?” 

She laughed into his chest and, breaking the hug, took a step back so she could look at Bucky. “You’re a good teacher.” Bucky took a few seconds to really look at his daughter. Amanda was smiling and he couldn’t keep an answering smile off his face. “Now, Dad. Really, if you’re going to wear that, you can’t just let your hair go all wild. Let me fix it for you?”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, sure, whatever you want. You know what looks good, way better than me.”

After rejecting a french braid, half-up and half-down, something called _space buns_ , they finally agreed that a messy bun was exactly what completed his look.

Amanda gave him a stern look before he left. “Don’t fool him with this look, Dad. You know deep down, you’re a total nerd. Sure you want the drool factor, but Steve better like the part of you that reads bad science fiction from the 80s if he wants to be my new dad."

Laughing at what must have been a shell-shocked expression on Bucky's face, Amanda clarified, "if you're ready for something serious. If you're not, hit it and quit it."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "I don't really know how to react to either of those situations. Can we just say I'm looking forward to getting to know Steve better and move on?" Amanda nodded, but Bucky didn't miss the glint in her eye. “Not like _that_ ” he exclaimed.

“Sure, Dad,” Amanda replied. “Have fun with Steve.”

——

After a short walk to the Percolator, Bucky started to look around for Steve. After a few minutes, Sam came out to greet him.

“Hey, Bucky!” Sam said in a warm voice. “You coming in to order or do you want curb-side service?”

Bucky shook his head. “No, nothing right now, thanks. I’m meeting Steve soon.”

Sam winked at him. “Did he have enough liquid courage last night to ask you out? Or was he being obvious and you took pity on him and asked _him_?”

“The first one,” Bucky replied. “He should be here any minute.”

A girl, maybe 12 or 13 came outside and walked up to Sam. She had Sam’s eyes and smile. Sam put his arm around her shoulders. “While you wait, meet my daughter, Gabbie.”

Bucky held out his hand. _Is that how you greet kids?_ he wondered. But she just shook his hand back and nodded. 

“Good to meet you,” she said. “Dad and Steve have had a lot of conversations about you.”

“Gabbie!” Sam exclaimed. “Don’t tell all of Steve’s secrets!”

“What secrets are you spilling, Gabs,” Steve said as he walked up with Sarah strapped to his chest in a carrier.

“That you like Bucky,” she answered in a sing-song voice.

Steve’s cheeks turned a charming shade of red and he looked down at his feet. “Pretty sure he figured that out on his own,” he mumbled. Then he looked up at Bucky and gave him a huge smile. “Good to see you, Buck. You look,” he took a second to take Bucky in, head to toe. “You look _good_ ,” he said after he was done. “But I don’t know how well you’re going to be able to run in those boots.” Steve started to walk towards the park.

Frowning, Bucky followed Steve across the street and asked “run?” 

“Yeah, I asked if you wanted to go for a run—”

“Steve, I thought we were going on a coffee date, not running in the park.” Bucky frowned again.

“I said…,” Steve trailed off. “I _thought_ I said a run? And then coffee after? Maybe I forgot to say the first part in my tipsy—”

“Drunk,” Bucky interrupted.

“In my impaired state,” Steve finished. “I swear Tony makes my drinks twice as strong as everyone else’s so he beats me. And he never takes my money! He just wants to win!”

Bucky laughed a little, remembering Steve’s face when he lost. “Pal, you’re real cute when you lose. I kinda don’t blame Tony.”

Steve turned red again. “Well, since you’re clearly not dressed for running, care to walk around the park and talk? We can still grab a cup of coffee from Sam after.”

Nodding, Bucky gestured for Steve to lead the way. He took a deep breath, relishing in the crisp air. Steve noticed and knocked their shoulders together. “Lot different than New York,” he commented.

Bucky nodded again. “I like it though. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the city is my _home_. It’s where Manda was born, where I first fell in love, where my sister and her family are. I’ll always have a big part of myself there. But Maple Bay…” he paused and thought as they walked. Bucky looked at the dog park where Tony and Morgan were playing with their dog. There were a couple of other families out with their dogs and happy barks and laughter filled the air.

“Maple Bay is special,” he finally decided on. “Everyone here has been so welcoming and kind. I’m as antisocial as the next New Yorker, but Amanda is really thriving out here. We both went through a tough time when we lost her mom, but having this new beginning… Well, it’s really something.”

Steve let out a soft sigh. “That’s pretty much how I feel too,” he admitted. “Pegs is still in our lives, but Sarah and I have really come to love Maple Bay since we moved. It’s slower. Something I didn’t know I needed until I became a single dad.”

They continued walking through the park, talking about their families and similar experiences growing up in Brooklyn. Bucky found out that Steve’s mom had been a nurse at the hospital where Amanda had been born. She didn’t work in labor and delivery, but she was working at The Brooklyn Hospital Center the same year. Bucky told Steve a little bit about losing Siobhan and Steve talked about losing his mother and having Sarah only a few months later; Sarah was named for the grandmother she would never know. The day was sunny and beautiful and while the subject was sad, being with Steve in the sun kept their talk about loss from being devastating.

After they had made their way around the perimeter of the park, Sarah was getting to be a little fussy. Steve nodded at the Percolator. “Now that we’re back, wanna go get that coffee? Maybe we can talk about happy things inside.”

Bucky let out a little laugh. “That sounds great,” he answered. “It sounds like Sarah might be hungry.”

“Yeah, Sam keeps a jar of her formula in the back since we’re there all the time. He says he wants to feed _all_ of his customers, not just the ones who can talk to him.”

“Sam’s a good guy,” Bucky remarked. 

Steve nodded. “Yeah, he’s become one of my closest friends since we moved out here.” Then out of nowhere Steve blushed.

“What’s got you all worked up, Stevie?” Bucky asked with a big smile.

“Oh, uh, I just had a big crush when I first got here. He’s still not over losing his husband so it never amounted to anything but—”

“He lured you in with that smile and his baked goods?” Steve smiled. “Yup,” Bucky continued, “he kinda got me that way too.”

Steve let out a little giggle. “We can’t ever tell him! He’ll never let it go.” He pushed the door open to walk into the Percolator and Bucky’s senses were assaulted by the smell of coffee and the sight of a smiling Steve. He smiled back and they stood, blocking the door for half a minute, grinning at each other.

“Fellas, I’m glad your walk went well, but this is a place of business. Can’t block my door,” Sam drawled. 

Bucky felt his face heat up. “Sorry, Sam.” Steve looked a bit like a kicked puppy. 

“Don’t give me that look, Steven Grant,” Sam said with a big smile. “Go be twitterpated over in the corner.”

Steve smirked. “I’ll show you _twitterpated_ ” he muttered.

“Whatever, Steve,” Sam shouted over his shoulder as he walked to the counter. “Do you want your usual?”

Nodding, Steve walked to “his” table in the corner and Bucky followed him, looking forward to whatever new menu item Sam was going to bring them. He loved being the test consumer for Percolator. 

——

Sundays were for staying home and watching TV with Amanda on the couch. Bucky checked his Dadbook account a couple of times and talked to Tony and Bruce a little, and Steve a lot. Things got flirty with Steve, to the point that Amanda started teasing him because he had a “special smile” when he was chatting with Steve. Bucky paid the cable bill so he made some vague threats, but since this was an on-going threat, with no real repercussions, Amanda ignored them.

However, Steve did invite Bucky out on another date. The local bistro had a cheese, wine, and trivia night every Wednesday and Steve usually went with Bruce and Tony. Steve explained he was beginning to feel like a third wheel with them so he invited Bucky. Then he went on a multi-paragraph explanation of it not being that Bucky was his back-up second choice, that he had really enjoyed their walk and coffee date and that he really didn’t mean to be offensive or rude.

Bucky laughed out loud at that and called Steve.

“Hello,” Steve sounded a little sheepish.

“Steve,” Bucky answered with a smile. “I don’t think you’re ‘settling’ with me if you’re going with me instead of Bruce and Tony. I think it’s sweet you want to give them space and I’m always up for cheese and wine. I can’t guarantee that I’ll know much for the trivia, the last 18 years have been spent listening to _Kidz Bop_ instead of current music. Now most of what Amanda listens to can barely be called music--”

“Rude, Dad,” Amanda interrupted with a little shove. Bucky ignored her.

“I mean I always liked science and stuff. I got really into the Apollo missions in my early years.”

Steve laughed. “Yeah, I understand. I have little pockets of knowledge and everything else is just a blank. To be honest, the only reason we ever won was because Bruce is a science genius and Tony is surprisingly well-rounded with everything. I was mostly there to eat cheese and answer the art questions.”

“Oh, you’re into art?” Bucky asked as Amanda mouthed _get a room_.

“Yeah, I went to school for it. I work as a graphic artist, but my real love is in traditional materials.”

Bucky mused on that for a second. “That’s pretty sexy, Steve,” he admitted. Amanda squawked out a singular “Dad!” and Steve made a weird sound on the other end of the phone. Bucky smirked. “It _is!_ ” he insisted.

“I’m glad you think so,” Steve said in what was probably supposed to be a sultry drawl, but in reality sounded more like that Chocolate Rain guy.

Bucky laughed at him, delighted at their flirting. “Before I traumatize my only child, I should probably go…” he started.

“Traumatize me more,” Amanda grumbled.

“Yeah, so Wednesday at 7:00?” Steve confirmed. “For cheese, wine, and trivia.”

“Yes,” Bucky confirmed. “No repeats of the running slash coffee date confusion.”

“Did you just say the _slash_ ” Amanda hissed at him. Bucky nodded. _Why_ he mouthed back. Shaking her head, Amanda gestured to the TV that was paused.

“But yes.” Bucky finally gave his attention back to Steve. “Wednesday at The Bistro. We will need to buy the biggest cheese platter they have because I’m a _can_ embert not a _can’t_ embert.”

Amanda rolled off the couch and covered her face with a throw pillow while Steve laughed. Bucky was pretty proud of his pun skills in that moment.

—— 

Soon it was Wednesday and Bucky was getting ready for his second date with Steve. It had been over a decade since he had experienced a _second_ date. His stomach was filled with butterflies, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. Amanda shouted some names of popular singers at him, but he was too nervous for any sort of comprehension. 

He left her, still talking about some guy called _Little Gnash’s ex_ , and headed down the street. Steve was outside his house, ready to walk to The Bistro with Bucky. They chatted while they walked, taking in the sunset. 

“Ya know, I was really nervous about moving out to the suburbs, but this is pretty nice,” Bucky admitted. He looked around at the dog park, the playground, Sam’s coffee shop. “I’m still taking it all in. It’s a lot different, but the longer we’re here, the happier I am.”

Smiling, Steve bumped his hand against Bucky’s. “Yeah, Maple Bay is really nice. I, for one, am glad you moved out here.” Then he blushed.

Bucky reached out to grab his hand as they walked up to the entrance of the restaurant. “Yeah, it was one of my better decisions,” he replied. They made their way inside and picked a table close to a podium that had obviously been brought out for the night.

“I’ll go grab us some drinks. Do you have any preferences? It’s pretty basic.” He handed Bucky the laminated menu. Scanning it, Bucky decided on the Pinot Noir from a local vineyard. “I’ll be back in a few,” Steve said after he looked at his own menu. “I’m ordering the biggest cheese board they have.”

Bucky lifted his hand up for a high-five and Steve didn’t disappoint. Then he had the chance to watch Steve’s ass as he walked away and he decided this was the _best_ second date. After a minute or two, Steve came back with two glasses of red wine. “Cheese and fruit should be out in a bit. Now it’s time for the hardest part of the night: picking a name for our team.”

After Bucky’s veto of “Never Gonna Quiz You Up” and Steve’s veto of “Taking Care of Quizness” they decided on “Red Hot Trivia Peppers.” Bruce and Tony walked up as Bucky was trying to get a big bite of brie onto his crostini. “Fancy meeting you here,” Tony said with a smirk.

Bruce shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Sorry,” he said. “He’s impossible.”

“Yeah, but you dig it,” Tony fired back.

Bruce let out a sigh. “I will admit that I do.”

“Anyway, Steve, know ‘Trivia Newton John’’ is gonna kick your ass.” At Bucky’s look, Tony frowned. “We all just like her music, OK? Don’t judge. But Bruce and I even convinced Loki to come out for all of our literature questions.” Tony made a big show of bowing like he had already won.

He stopped his preemptive victory dance when Bruce pulled him aside and whispered something. Tony smiled and looked softer than Bucky had ever seen. 

“OK you trivia fans and your crazy lifestyles. It’s time to drink and answer questions about obscure topics.” 

Realizing it was Wade’s voice, Bucky turned to Steve. “Yeah, Wade is the MC. He’s got a bunch of jobs, but this is where we met him,” Steve said.

Bruce grabbed Tony and smiled at Steve and Bucky. “Good luck. We’re going to go join Loki.” He dragged Tony back to the table where Loki was waiting patiently with a glass of a dark red, viscous liquid. 

“It’s not blood,” Steve said when he noticed Bucky staring. “It’s a mix of juices. Loki doesn’t drink alcohol. Except for absinthe. They say it’s to keep to Victorian traditions, but really it’s for the aesthetic.”

Bucky snorted out a little laugh. Wade was still talking, outlining the rules, but since Steve seemed to be a regular, Bucky ignored them to focus on Steve.

“We’re going to lose horribly, aren’t we?” Steve asked with a big smile.

“Oh, almost surely,” Bucky agreed.

As predicted, Red Hot Trivia Peppers lost. _Miserably_. But Bucky ate a lot of cheese and drank more wine than should have. Steve was far more competitive than Bucky had expected.They had tried their best, but Tony and Bruce really were almost unstoppable. The only weird part of the night was when Wade, a little tipsy himself, wanted to toast all the single dads. He went on a _deeply_ personal rant about his estranged husband, Peter, and his daughter who he hadn’t seen in years. 

After the trivia portion had ended, Steve and Bucky went up to try and comfort him, but Wade was insisting it was a _bit_ and it should have been _funny_. Grimacing, Steve took him off for a few minutes to talk. After, Wade looked less sad and Steve had a gentle smile on his face. After walking Steve home, Bucky left him at his door with a gentle kiss and walked the rest of the way to his house feeling happier than he had in a long time.

——

Bucky would admit one bad thing about living in the suburbs was that privacy was suddenly non-existent. At least it was non-existent in his neighborhood. He got multiple messages from Tony, Sam, and even Loki, about his date with Steve. After a call from Steve, he was reassured that it was all good talk. He said it meant that everybody liked Bucky and that they were invested in his life now. So while the neighborhood was close and in each other’s business it never turned malicious. He and Steve got together when they could for coffee and a couple of lunches, but Steve was finishing up a big project so he had far less free time.

A week had gone by with brief visits with Steve, but Bucky spent that time also getting to know his other neighbors better. He had helped with a bake-sale at Brock’s church and met his wife Natasha. He met Bruce’s son Issac who stole an entire cake with Sleipnir at the bake sale. Tony dropped by and casually paid for the cake and half of the other baked goods. Brock mentioned that Tony was a trust fund kid and that he had made wise investments. Bucky thought he had a rather predatory glint in his eye, but then shrugged it off as having had eaten a bad brownie.

Then Bucky got a package of butterflies that belonged to Loki. He had gone and toured their house and was impressed by their commitment to the goth lifestyle. Sleipnir and Isaac dropped by and Loki explained that they were friends that week, but that didn’t mean they would like each other the next day. Bucky went home that night and made a huge stack of pancakes for Amanda for being so well adjusted.

Another week went by before Bucky and Steve were able to go out on a _proper_ date. Sarah was with her mother for the weekend so Steve suggested they go out to the local bar to celebrate the end of his project.

“You’re sure you’ll be OK tonight?” Bucky asked Amanda as he got ready to head out. “I don’t mind—”

“Dad,” she said in a serious voice. “I’m almost 18. I _think_ it’s OK for me to stay home for an evening. I have a cell phone, _you_ have a cell phone. I can call or text you if I need you. Besides,” she smirked. “I’m pretty sure Gwen was planning on going to the Sam’s to bake cookies with Gabbie. She said she would text me.”

“You and Gwen?” Bucky asked with raised eyebrows.

Amanda shook her head. “Not like that, she’s in love with this girl named Kate in our econ class. We’re just friends.” She _shooed_ Bucky out the door. “Go have fun with Steve. Don’t drink and drive. If you need to Uber the three blocks from the bar to our house, do that.”

“I think I’ll just walk, but I’ll keep your advice in mind,” Bucky said as he was actually _pushed_ out the door by his only child. She waved and shut the door in his face.

Grumbling to himself, he walked to Steve’s house. “Manda literally pushed me out the door, so that’s what you’ve got to look forward to, Stevie,” he said when Steve opened the door. 

Steve snickered at him. “I’ll make a mental note of that so I can revisit it in 16 years.” He looked Bucky up and down and Bucky bit back a smile and tried not to blush. He wasn’t successful if the heat in his cheeks meant anything. “You ready to go drink to my success?” Steve asked with an answering blush after he had looked his fill.

Bucky nodded as Steve shut the door behind him and they walked over to the sidewalk. “Are you going to get all drunk and silly again?” Bucky asked with a smirk. 

“Uh— yeah, probably,” Steve admitted and Bucky was charmed. They held hands as they walked in a comfortable silence. Steve held the door open when they got to the bar and Bucky was relieved to see it only half full. He had had his whole _party all night_ phase in college and he wanted a night to sip on a beer and talk to Steve.

“Steve!” Wade shouted from the corner. “Come talk to me and Nat!”

He sent Bucky an apologetic look and walked over to Wade and Natasha. He shook his head several times while Wade glared at Bucky and looked angrier by the second. They were arguing about _something_ , but Bucky couldn’t hear what it was. Natasha started looking upset and Bucky decided he would step in because from the arm waving, it looked like Wade wanted Steve to stay with him and Natasha instead of be on a date with Bucky. 

“Hey, Steve,” he said when he reached the booth, “it’s OK if we join them. I don’t mind.” Bucky shrugged. “The more the merrier, right?”

Steve gave him a skeptical look. “We don’t have to—”

“He said he would join us, Rogers,” Natasha said with a glint in her eye. “As he’s not someone who has fucked my husband, he’s welcome to stay.”

Bucky’s jaw dropped and Wade sent him a little grin. “Four glasses and a bottle of whiskey!” he shouted to the bartender. Then, looking Bucky in the eye, he said, “This is the loser’s corner. You don’t have to have a shitty relationship with your spouse to sit here, but you can’t judge those of us who do.”

The bartender brought a tray with four glasses and a bottle of brown liquid that didn’t have a label on it. “Should we drink that?” Bucky whispered to Steve.

“Yeah,” he answered. “Jerome isn’t gonna poison us. Wade might get us there if things get too sad, but it will be from the volume we consume, not the drink itself.”

“Not exactly encouraging, Steve.”

While he and Steve had been talking, Wade had filled each glass to its brim. He cocked an eyebrow at Natasha and they downed their drinks without taking a breath.

“ _Nu naher_ ,” Natasha whispered. Then, smiling at Wade who was refilling their glasses, she turned to Steve and Bucky. “Bottoms up boys.”

Steve shrugged and picked up his glass nudging Bucky in the side. “I’m only drinking the one, Nat.”

“I don’t know if that’s the best idea, Steve. I think one would kill my liver,” Bucky said, concerned.

“You can go a long time without a liver,” Wade responded. “Drink at least half of the glass, Bucky and we’ll leave you alone. But Natasha here needs drinking buddies because she’s married to a complete shit swizzler who claims to be a _man of God_ , but can’t keep his dick to himself.”

Natasha’s face was stony when Bucky looked at her. He kept in his _eep_ and threw back half of his whiskey. Shuddering, he watched Steve do the same. 

“Wanna talk about it or wanna drink until I can’t see straight?” Steve asked.

“Pretty sure you’re almost there, Steve, but no. I don’t particularly want to talk about it. Brock did what Brock does best and I’m over it.” While she was talking, Wade threw his arm around her shoulders. 

“Nat’s family moved from Russia when she was in middle school,” Steve murmured to Bucky. “They were really religious and she and Brock were high school sweethearts. When he said he was going to be a minister, her parents really pressured her to marry him. She stays for the kids because right now they don’t understand that their dad is an asshole and she doesn't want to break up their family.”

Bucky let out a huff of breath. “That sucks,” he whispered back.

“It does,” Wade said, obviously overhearing their conversation. “Now less talking and more drinking.”

Bucky forced the rest of his glass down and sat for a few uncomfortable moments in silence. “Well this is awkward,” Wade said, finally breaking the silence. “Wanna order some wings?” He and Steve started discussing what level of hot was acceptable while Bucky tried not to stare at Natasha.

“It’s fine,” Natasha said while the argument over nuclear wings vs ghost pepper wings got louder. “Don’t feel sorry for me.”

“I can’t help but—”

“Bucky!” Steve shouted when Wade got up to go to the bar. “I can’t feel my legs! Lets go dance!”

The rest of the time at the bar was a blur. Bucky and Steve danced and at one point, Wade joined them. Later Bucky watched Natasha chat up some guy and had him eating out of the palm of her hand. _Literally_. She fed him a few pieces of celery that had come with the wings and Wade’s laughter made the seats of the booth shake. “She’s gonna be fine, guys,” he declared. “Nat’s Russian. She knows how to compartmentalize.” 

Bucky checked his phone and saw that Amanda had texted to let him know she was staying the night with Gwen. He suddenly had the best idea of his _life_. “Come back to my house and make out with me,” he said.

Natasha smirked. "Go have fun," she urged them. "Wade and I aren't even close to being done for the night."

The cool air sobered Bucky up as he and Steve walked to his house. Bucky squinted as he saw someone run by, chasing a dog. The person had long black hair in a ponytail, a pair of jeans, and a green polo shirt.

“Who was that?” he asked. “It almost looked like _Loki_ , but they weren’t decked out in tight pants and a cape.”

Laughing, Steve nodded. “Yeah, Loki is committed to being goth like 80% of the time but the other 20% they volunteer at the local dog shelter.”

“Huh,” Bucky said. “They are multi-faceted.” Then they were at Bucky’s door and he didn’t want to think about Loki anymore. He stumbled in, not drunk anymore, but still a little tipsy. Bucky took in the fact that all of the downstairs lights were on. “What are we having a light party?” he grumbled to himself. Saying “One minute,” to Steve, he went into the kitchen and turned off all of the lights. Happy that his dad duty was done he walked back into the living room. “Want a tour of the house?”

“Yeah,” Steve breathed out, walking closer to Bucky. They were so close that Bucky could see the flecks of green that mixed in with the blue of Steve’s eyes. Steve smelled like cologne and whiskey and Bucky leaned in to kiss him. 

Feeling bold, he asked, “Wanna see my room?”

“Lead the way.”

Bucky took Steve upstairs, feeling nervous. He hadn’t slept with a guy in years. Sure, he had fooled around with a few of his first dates, but most of them had been with women. “I’ve got to pee,” he said in a rush and ran out of the room.

After taking care of his business, washing his hands and face, Bucky stared at himself in the mirror. “The mechanics of a blow job couldn’t have changed that much since you were 18,” he lectured himself. “Plus it’s _Steve_. He’s not going to laugh at you.”

Feeling a lot better, Bucky went back to his room. But it seemed that his pep talk had been in vain; Steve was quietly snoring on Bucky’s bed. He kicked off his shoes and then went around the bed to take off Steve’s shoes Giving Steve a little nudge, he asked, “Want me to go sleep on the couch?”

“Nrgh,” Steve grunted and he shook his head. “Lotsa room.” Then he started snoring again.

Charmed beyond belief, Bucky got on the bed with Steve and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Steve was smiling at Bucky. “Thanks for letting me sleep here,” he said, voice rough from the drinking.

“I wasn’t just gonna kick you out,” Bucky replied as he got out of bed and stretched a little. Steve followed suit and went to grab his shoes. 

After putting them on, his face got serious. “Bucky I’m worried that this might not be a good idea since we’re neighbors.” At Bucky’s look, he specified, “Rushing into a physical relationship.”

Bucky let out a sigh. “You coulda phrased that better, Steve,” he grumbled.

Steve nodded and smiled. “I really like you, Buck. I do. I just want to make sure we don’t rush into things. We’ve only really known each other a few weeks. But I really want to spend more time getting to know you.”

“Yeah,” Bucky whispered. Then louder, “Yeah, I really want that too. So no more drinking with Natasha and Wade?”

Letting out a groan, Steve mumbled, “Yeah, they have iron livers.” He looked up and smiled. “How about I go home and shower and then we head over to Sam’s for some coffee and pastries?”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Bucky answered. “Meet you there in half an hour?”

Steve leaned in and kissed Bucky. It was chaste and sweet even if Bucky had horrible morning breath and he assumed Steve was in a similar situation. “Half an hour,” Steve agreed.

——

Things with Steve settled into a routine after that. They still kept their lunch and coffee dates, but they added in Wednesday trivia and cheese night, and poker nights. When Sarah was with Peggy, Steve would take Bucky out. On one memorable occasion, Amanda had offered to babysit for Steve.

“Never again!” she had shouted after Steve left. “Babies are cute, sure, but the stuff that comes out of them! Gah!” She shuddered. 

Bucky grabbed her in a hug and kissed her on the top of the head. “Thanks for falling on your sword.”

She winked. “You just seem really happy with Steve. Don’t want anything to get in the way.”

Then, almost exactly three months after they had moved to Maple Bay, it was Amanda’s birthday. She insisted that she didn’t want any fuss, but she and Gwen had grown close and through the neighborhood grapevine Bucky learned from Steve, who had learned from Sam, who had learned from Gwen that Amanda didn’t want anything big, but she wanted all the neighbors to come for cake.

So on her birthday Steve, Sam, Tony, Wade, Bruce, and Loki were all hiding, _poorly_ , in Bucky’s living room to greet Amanda after she got home from school.

“Shh!” Steve fussed.

“Like she’s not gonna see us all through the window,” Tony shot back. “She’s pretty smart.”

Bucky agreed with Tony, but he was dating Steve so… “Shh!” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Finally after some giggles and more shusing than usually heard outside of a second grade classroom, Amanda and Gwen walked in the door.

“Happy birthday!” Bucky, Steve, Sam, and Gwen shouted while Tony and Bruce shouted, “Surprise!” Loki was an outlier and yelled, “Happiest returns on the day of your birth!” while Wade stood in the corner and smirked.

Amused at the lack of planning, Amanda smiled and looked at Gwen. “Thanks.” They fistbumped. 

Amanda ran over to Bucky and gave him a hug. “This is perfect,” she whispered. “Are all the kids coming? There’s a lot of dicks on the dancefloor without the daughters. And where’s Sarah?”

Bucky frowned at her. “I guess since you’re a legal adult now, I have no leg to stand on with the cursing. But remember—”

“Never in front of my Mimi or small children,” Amanda finished their long standing rule. 

There was a knock on the door and Wade opened it to let Natasha, Morgan, and Gabbie in. “My tiny friends!” Amanda shouted. Then with a wry grin she muttered to Bucky, “Well, I guess I’m done with the bad words.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Go talk to people,” he urged her. “Everybody is here to celebrate you. I’ve known your whole life how amazing you are. It’s time for the rest of them to play catch up.”

“Daaaaaad,” she playfully whined. “You’re embarrassing me.” But heeding his advice, she walked over to Natasha and the girls.

Steve walked over to Bucky and pulled him down on the couch. “She seems happy,” he whispered, making Bucky’s neck break out in chill bumps.

“Amanda’s easy,” Bucky answered. “Give her cake and surround her with her friends and she’s content.”

“Isn’t that dream for everybody?” Steve replied. He fell silent as Natasha walked over to them. Bucky was taken aback by the smile on her face. In all of their previous interactions, she had always seemed tired and vaguely unhappy. “Hey, Nat,” Steve said with an answering smile. “Where are the kids?”

“They’re with my parents. I’m just here to drop off Morgan and Gabbie, and wish Amanda a happy birthday. Then I’ve got to go back.”

“Is…” Bucky trailed off. “They must be enjoying the time with your parents,” he finally decided on. Best not to bring up Brock unless she did first.

“Yeah, Mom and Dad came out because Brock’s gone,” she said with an almost evil glint. “He was apparently embezzling funds from the church to fund a secret sex cult.”

Bucky’s jaw dropped open and from the corner of his eye, he could see Steve was in a similar state. “I’m sorry…” Steve started. “Did you say—"

Natasha smirked. “Yeah, the cops came yesterday and hauled him off.” She had a brief moment of sadness cross her face. “I’m not sad that he’s gone and I can tell the kids that he won’t be in their lives, but I feel sorry for the men he slept with. Apparently he took all of their money for the cult and bought a huge boat. He only got caught because the last guy he was with didn’t want to transfer any money so Brock drugged him and cleaned out his bank account.”

“That sounds like something out of a soap opera,” Steve whispered.

Shrugging Natasha smiled again. “My life is weird, Rogers. We all know this. I’m just thankful he thought I was too much of a drunk to help. My parents are going to stay with us for a while, at least until we’re all in therapy and settled. It’s going to be a huge change for everybody, but I feel like this is going to be the fresh start we all need.”

Bucky still had his mouth open from before. He cleared his throat. “If you need anything, I’m sure everybody in the neighborhood would be happy to help. I know Amanda and I will be here for you and the kids.”

“Yeah, me too,” Steve added.

Natasha leaned down and whispered, “You make Steve happy. Hurt him and…,” she trailed off and Bucky saw murder in her eyes.

His mind went wild, thinking of all the hours of procedural crime shows he had watched in his life. He shuddered. “Steve makes me happy too,” he told her. “I’ll do my best not to hurt him.”

“See that you do,” she whispered back. Then she winked at Steve. “Check out Tony and Bruce,” she said in a sly tone. Bucky looked over and they were holding hands. “Apparently Loki tried to kiss Bruce on a trivia night and that pushed Tony to confess his feelings.”

“But Loki—” Steve started.

“Yeah,” Natasha interrupted. “They only did it to get them together. Everybody knows Loki is a trickster.” As if summoned by their name, Loki walked by and snagged Natasha.

“Natasha, you have to tell me what is going on in your life,” they said. Natasha followed Loki to the corner so they could talk.

“I’m gonna go talk to Tony and Bruce,” Steve said as he got off the couch. “They’ve been circling each other for _years_. I should go congratulate them for finally getting their shit together.”

“Sure,” Bucky said. “I’ll catch up with them in a bit.”

After Steve had left, Amanda came up and plopped on the couch by Bucky. “Dad, thanks again. This is really great. I know things are changing so much, but I’ve always known you’ve got my back. And with me going off to college next fall, I really am happy to have you as my dad.”

Bucky’s eyes got a little misty. He sniffled. “My allergies are acting up,” he said at Amanda’s look.

“Uh huh,” she replied. “Those air allergies.”

Bucky nodded solemnly. “The very same. Gets me every time.”

Across the room Sam cleared his throat. When everybody quieted down, he looked around the room and smiled. “We’re all here to celebrate Amanda and Bucky’s ability to keep her alive for 18 years.” He smiled as laughter filled the room. “If you’ll let me,there’s something I want to do. I’m not trying to make today about me—”

“Yes you are!” Tony shouted, good-naturedly.

“Whatever, man,” Sam shot back with a grin. “But as you all know, Gabbie and I lost her dad a couple of years ago. What some of you don’t know is that Riley and I used to be in a band. We were an acoustic do and just played local gigs, but after he was gone I couldn’t really find it in myself to play much. But you’ve all been such good friends to us and I think it’s time I try again. So, Amanda, if you don’t mind, I’ve got something to sing for you and Gabbie and Morgan and all the dads.”

Amanda shook her head so vigorously, it made the couch shake a little. “That would be amazing, Sam!”

Steve handed him a guitar and he started the opening chords to _Brown Eyed Girl_. Amanda let out a little squeal. “Did you put him up to this, Dad?” she asked.

Bucky shook his head. “No, I had no idea. Steve must have snuck the guitar in when I wasn’t looking.”

She leaned into Bucky and he moved his arm so she was curled up against him. “I remember you singing this every night after Mom died,” she whispered.

Bucky thought back to the year after they had lost Siobhan. Back then he had no idea that his life would bring him to Maple Bay, much less that he would find such good friends after the move. He let out a silent _thanks_ to the universe that though he and Amanda had had such sadness in their lives, they also had some really happy times.

Musing interrupted by Sam encouraging everyone to join in, Bucky sang, “do you remember when we used to sing sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-de-dah,” and his heart felt full.

“Looks like your allergies are flaring up again, Dad,” Amanda remarked as they ended the song and Bucky had to wipe tears from his eyes.

“Fucking allergies,” he agreed. 

Amanda smiled at him and gave him a little half hug. “I’m gonna go thank Sam,” she said and untangled herself from Bucky. “I want cake soon though.” 

“Sure thing, Manda Panda,” Bucky agreed. “Let me find Steve and we’ll get everything together.”

Wade intercepted him on his way to the kitchen. He was standing with a man Bucky hadn’t met before. Wade’s face was red, but he was smiling. “Hey man, I know we haven’t really been friendly—” Bucky let out a startled laugh— “but I wanna thank you for the invite. It really means a lot that even when I’m being a douche, you’re still nice.”

Bucky didn’t really know how to respond. He shrugged. “I mean, you’re our neighbor?” he finally said. “We’re happy to have you.”

“Wade, are you going to introduce me?” the man at his side asked.

“Oh yeah, sorry Petey-pie.” Wade pointed to _Petey-pie_ and said, “This is my husband, Peter. Peter, this is Bucky. He and Steve are bang—”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Wade,” Peter warned. “We will leave before cake.” Wade pouted, but stopped talking. “I want to apologize for Wade,” Peter said with a smile. “He’s barely civilized.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that out,” Bucky replied. “It’s good to meet you, Peter.”

“You too, Bucky,” he said holding his hand out so they could shake hands. “Thanks for inviting Wade. Sorry if I’m crashing the party, but Wade and I are working on our relationship and he thought it would be nice if we came together. Steve said it would be fine if I dropped by.”

“Not a problem, Peter,” Bucky said with a big smile. “I’m glad you and Wade are back together.” Bucky dropped his voice to an almost whisper. “This is the happiest I’ve seen Wade,” he said.

“Yeah, a shit-ton of therapy will do that,” Wade interjected.

“We’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing,” Peter said as he pulled Wade back into the living room. “I wanna catch up with Tony.”

Bucky was finally able to make his way to the kitchen to get the cake. He and Steve gathered the plates and utensils and lit all the candles. Steve, who went out first, starting the singing. Bucky couldn’t take his eyes off his daughter. He had no idea what he had done to deserve such a perfect human, but he wasn’t going to question it too much. Amanda really was the best of him and he felt so lucky that he had her love in his life. He started to tear up _again_ thinking about the day Amanda was born, watching her take her first steps, hearing her say “Dad”, her first day of school. Then the years when they both mourned Siobhan and how they had only become closer. It was sappy, but Bucky would admit that Amanda was one of his best friends. Sure he was also her parent, but she had grown and matured into a kind, intelligent, compassionate woman and he couldn't wait to see what she did with the rest of her life.

He was quiet while everybody ate their cake, but said his goodbyes to everyone as they slowly trickled out. Finally it was just Gwen and Amanda, whispering in the corner and Steve and Bucky cleaning up.

“Hey Dad, I’m gonna go spend the night with Gwen if that’s OK.” She winked. “I know Sarah is with her mom. So maybe you and Steve can hang out tonight?” She winked again. Then Gwen winked. Then Amanda winked for a _third_ time. “You know...” Yet another wink... “ _alone_?”

Throwing his hands in the air, Bucky groaned. “Oh my _god_. I get it, Manda.” Steve was furiously blushing in the corner. 

“Kay!” Amanda chirped and she grabbed Gwen’s arm. “We will see you tomorrow. I’ll text you before I come home!” They rushed out the door, giggling.

As soon as the door shut, Bucky burst into laughter. “Holy shit,” he said after he caught his breath. “I think my daughter is trying to get us both laid.” 

“She’s not wrong though,” Steve said thoughtfully. “Sarah _is_ with Pegs. And I would hate for all of her scheming to be wasted.”

Bucky felt his cheeks heat. “Do you want to have a sleepover?” he asked and winked. 

Steve giggled. “Well now I know where she gets the awkward winking.” At Bucky’s laugh he added, “It’s sweet, but it’s also a little weird.”

Not able to keep his smile at bay, Bucky responded, “Yeah, a little. But I think she just wants me to be happy. And Steve, you really make me happy.” Steve leaned in and kissed him. Hard. Bucky moaned as Steve’s tongue outlined his lips. Opening his mouth to deepen the kiss, Bucky nipped at Steve’s lower lip and felt his body light up in the beginning stages of arousal.

“We’re too old to fuck on the couch,” Steve murmured between kisses.

“Well, pal, you’re in luck,” Bucky quipped. “I’ve got a real comfortable bed upstairs.”

Steve kissed him again, licking into Bucky’s mouth and pulling their hips together. “I am lucky,” he said.

They made their way up to Bucky’s room and Bucky was struck by how beautiful Steve was. He crowded Steve against the wall and started nibbling on his neck. After a few moments, Steve let out a groan. Feeling bold, Bucky slotted his thigh between Steve’s legs. He leaned in and rubbed it against the beginnings of Steve’s erection. They traded lazy kisses as Steve slowly humped Bucky.

“Don’t wanna do this like a teenager,” Steve gasped. “Maybe we can move it to the bed?”

Nodding, Bucky took a deep breath. “Yeah, do you feel like getting undressed? I was hoping to get the chance to taste you all over.” Bucky could _feel_ Steve’s shudder.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “That would be amazing.”

Bucky gestured to the bed as Steve pulled off his shirt. Bucky kissed along his collarbone as he helped Steve unbutton his pants. He walked Steve back to the bed and pulled his pants and boxers down, then pushed Steve down so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Bucky knelt by the bed and looked up into Steve’s eyes. “If I do anything you’re uncomfortable with, let me know.”

Steve looked at him like he had hung the moon and leaned down to kiss Bucky again. He reached back and ran his fingers through Bucky’s hair, taking care not to pull at the strands. Bucky broke the kiss to go back to kissing Steve’s chest and Steve let go of Bucky’s hair. This time he lapped at a pink nipple that had pebbled from being exposed to the cooler air. Steve let out a hiss and Bucky licked it again. Seeing goose bumps break out over his chest, Bucky gently bit at Steve. Groaning, Steve moved his hips, restless.

“ _God_ it feels so good when you do that,” he said on a groan.

Bucky nipped at it again as he moved his hands up Steve’s calves and started to massage his inner thighs. Steve hissed out a _yes_ and Bucky moved his hands higher until they were brushing at Steve’s balls and cock. Steve was totally hard and Bucky had to take a second to peek down at Steve. He was rosy pink and so hot it almost made Bucky’s brain melt.

“It’s been a really long time,” Steve admitted. “Not gonna last very long.” His hands were clenching the sheet at his sides. 

Bucky smiled and bit his nipple again. “Yeah, same with me,” he said as Steve wriggled on the bed. He spent a few moments kissing down Steve’s stomach until he was at the juncture where Steve’s legs met his hips. Bucky nosed and licked at Steve’s hip bone and reached over to lightly stroke Steve’s dick. 

When Bucky looked up, Steve’s eyes were dark with arousal. “Feels so good when you do that,” he groaned as Bucky stroked him.

“Do you want more?”

Steve could only nod. Hoping that his skills weren’t _too_ rusty, Bucky took the head of Steve’s cock into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the head and gave it a good suck. Steve approved, if his grunt was any indication. Feeling bolder, Bucky took Steve as far down as he could. When he hit the back of Bucky’s throat, Bucky paused and breathed harshly out of his nose. He started bobbing his head, letting Steve hit his soft palate on every other stroke. Bucky could taste the salty bitterness of Steve’s pre-come and he moved Steve’s hands to his head.

“Don’t thrust too hard and you can do whatever you want,” he said roughly right before he took Steve down again. Steve groaned and his hands tightened in Bucky’s hair. He started a gentle rhythm, fucking into Bucky’s mouth. Bucky let out an answering moan as Steve accidentally pulled his hair.

“You like that?” Steve asked as he pulled at Bucky’s hair again. Bucky grunted his agreement and moved a hand down to rub at his own erection. He had been so caught up in making _Steve_ feel good, his pleasure had become almost secondary. As he rubbed his length through his pants, he realized that he was getting close to orgasm just by making Steve feel good.

Steve kept gently fucking into Bucky’s mouth, occasionally hitting his throat. After a few moments he pulled off and started to roughly jerk himself off. His body stiffened and he let out a grunt and Bucky watched as his face screwed up in pleasure. He looked down to see Steve’s cock spurt come over his hand and stomach. A few drops fell on the floor and Bucky was happy to not have carpet. He let out an internal sigh over getting to the age of worrying about jizz stains on carpets before Steve pulled him up to a standing position and unbuttoned Bucky’s pants.

“Yeah?” he asked as he nuzzled at Bucky’s pubic hair.

Words escaping him, Bucky could only nod. Steve pulled down his pants and underwear at the same time and started licking up and down Bucky’s cock. Bucky felt tingles down to his toes when Steve started massaging his balls and sucking at his length. He tried to keep his hips still, but Steve gave him a particularly strong suck and he was helpless to stop himself from thrusting into Steve’s wet heat.

That didn’t seem to deter Steve and he took the hand that still was wet from his own come and used it to start jerking Bucky off in time with bobbing his head. Bucky’s toes curled, his eyes slammed shut as all of his senses were suddenly focused on his center. Steve got up a good rhythm and after half a dozen strokes, Bucky’s orgasm wracked through his body. He could hear his harsh breathing as pleasure radiated through his body. He bit out a curse as Steve focused only on the tip of his dick. He slumped down when he had finished and let out a little wince from oversensitivity when Steve sucked him down again.

Steve looked up at him and smiled. “That looked like it felt good,” he said. Bucky could only grunt. “You’re not really as messy as I am,” he continued. “Why don’t you get all the way undressed while I go wash up.”

Bucky nodded and slid sideways onto his bed, joining in Steve’s laughter. He watched Steve’s ass as he left the room and Bucky used his remaining energy to pull his shirt off and get all the way out of his pants. He moved, slug-like, up the bed until his head was on his pillow.

Steve laughed again when he saw Bucky. “Do you lose all of your brain cells when you come?” he asked with a smirk.

Bucky groaned. “Please don’t tell me you’re one of those people who are chipper after sex.”

Steve got into bed with Bucky and gathered him in his arms. “I don’t know about every time, but this time I’m just so happy to be here with you, I can’t stay quiet.”

Bucky rolled over and rested his head on Steve’s shoulder. “I’ll allow it this time.” He felt Steve’s laughter. “But next time you’re going to behave like a reasonable human and pass out too.”

Kissing the top of Bucky’s head, Steve murmured, “Whatever you want, Buck.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the mods for a fun fest and a great extension period (I signed up for too many things and got the plague). It was a good time! 12/10 would recommend.
> 
> Also a big shout out to Jay, Sable, and [Coldwinterrose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldwinterrose/pseuds/coldwinterrose) for the support and an amazing beta read through by Rose.


End file.
